English, German sites to be explored on tour

That's the day you can tour northern Carroll County's English and German heritage sites with the Northeast Tourist Bureau, which begins its second season Tuesday with a tour of local farms.

The Northeast Tourist Bureau, a project of Councilwoman Charlotte Collett of Manchester and Councilwoman Jacqueline Hyatt of Hampstead, aims to publicize what northeastern Carroll County has to offer, and to entertain at the same time.

"It's about roots," said Ms. Hyatt.

Many area residents don't know about some of the historic features on their doorstep, Mrs. Collett said.

The trips are also popular -- especially among senior citizens -- because they allow people to get out and socialize.

Ms. Hyatt said that some people had never tried Chinese food or even pizza until they took a bureau trip.

Some parts of last year's tours -- such as farms and businesses -- will be repeated, Mrs. Collett said, but new stops have been added.

The bureau turned a profit of several hundred dollars last year, Mrs. Collett said, which was used to support tree projects in Hampstead and Manchester.

This year, she said, she wants to use the profits to provide expert guides. She hopes to have an expert on the Pennsylvania Dutch accompany the July 21 tour.

Other guides will include local historian and author Joan Prall who will guide July 13's tour of one-room schoolhouses, and Joseph Getty, director of the Carroll County Historical Society, who will be on the July 29 trip down historic Route 30.

Last year, many people took more than one of the tours, an several came on every trip, Mrs. Collett said.

"mystery trip" Aug. 4 is in the planning stages, Ms. Hyatt said.

"It's still a big mystery," she said.

The trips are limited to 40 people.

Mrs. Collett said the bureau had hoped to put together a light-rail excursion, but that several hundred passengers are required before a train can be chartered.